Think of the groups considered major threats to Western civilization and youre likely to single out scourges like ISIS.
They became bell weathers of a new philosophy that gorged on hedonism and luxuriated in creativity.
After all, it wasnt just the Stones who were evolving exponentially.
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The entire culture was.
The Stones simply did all three better.
The upgrade came at a crucial time.
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A psychedelic reach,Satanicwas widely seen as their answer to the BeatlesSgt.
Pepper, a flawed strategy from the start.
WithBeggarsthe band both returned to a rawer sound and created a wholly fresh one.
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Their instrumentation, subject matter, even the essential vibe ofBeggars, broke with their earlier patterns.
It all felt looser, freer, wilder yet, at the same time, ruthlessly honed.
Ironically,Beggarswas largely acoustic-based, not an obvious perception given how ruthlessly parts of it rock.
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Other key songs are, at root, ballads, drawn from country and folk.
Meanwhile, the force of their rockers promised to bind fans into a global movement.
The latter found its ultimate anthem in Street Fighting Man.
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Never had Keith Richards weaponized his guitar so lethally.
The band dug in further with Salt of The Earth, an enduring working-class anthem.
Overall, however, the album swerved from literal politics to favor a vague brand of anarchism.
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But the biggest blast of contrariness came in Sympathy For The Devil.
(Its newly available in a Blu-Ray version under both titles.)
Its a mess of ideas and mis-directions which, if nothing else, nails the edginess of its time.
Godards film also captures the songs topicality.
The lyric which the band rehearses in the main part of the film refers to a single dead Kennedy.
Whatever flaws in the show, it still provided a riveting snapshot of a pivotal time.
The Stones never looked cooler or more colorful.
It must be heard to be believed.
Even so, the Stones six songs steal the show.
Thats hardly a surprising turn.
Its the inevitable fate of all artistic outlaws who suffer, and enjoy, the cultures embrace.
